Announcing the meeting, Zelenskyy said “a lot can be decided before the New Year,” as Washington drives efforts to end Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
“As for the sensitive issues: We will discuss both Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. We will certainly discuss other issues as well,” he told reporters in a WhatsApp chat.
According to Axios, Zelenskyy stated that he hoped to agree on a peace framework with Trump during the meeting and that he would be willing to submit that framework to a referendum in Ukraine if Russia agrees to a ceasefire.
Ukrainian servicemen attend a parade on Orthodox Christmas eve in downtown Lviv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Mykola Tys)
Zelenskyy ready for a referendum
He, however, said that the referendum would be possible only if Russia agrees to a ceasefire of at least 60 days.
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The Ukrainian President also said it’s not yet clear to him whether Russia is prepared to agree to Trump’s plan in the first place. “I have some intelligence … but I’m at the moment when I want to believe only the words of leaders,” he told Axios.
To end the war, Moscow wants Ukraine to withdraw from the parts of the eastern Donetsk region that Russian troops have failed to occupy during almost four years of war, as it seeks full control of the Donbas, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Kyiv wants the fighting to be halted at the current battle lines.
In this photo taken on Saturday Dec. 20, 2025 and provided by Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized Brigade press service, ruins in the town of Kostyantynivka, the site of heavy battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Oleg Petrasiuk/Ukraine’s 24th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
According to Zelenskyy, he would still like to negotiate a better position on territory. But if the plan demands “a very difficult” decision on that issue, he said he believes the best path forward will be to put the entire 20-point plan to a referendum.
An elderly man looks out of his broken window as an apartment building was hit by a Russian drone during an aerial attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)
Explaining the logic behind his demand for a 60-day ceasefire for the referendum to be held, Zelenskyy said it was important for the people of Ukraine to feel safe.
“If people don’t turn out to vote due to security concerns, the result could seem illegitimate. It is better to not have a referendum than have a referendum where people do not have the possibility to come and vote,” he said.
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Ukrainian President also said it's not yet clear to him whether Russia is prepared to agree to Trump's plan in the first place. (Photo: Reuters) 
